ABSTRACT
Concerning the Latjm word Sut, Jfidortts deriveth it from Sub, becaufe thefe Beafts tread under* The enWofoot grafs and grain, and indeed for this caufe the Egyptians kept their Swine in the hills all the ^y ofthe year long , till their feed time j for when their corn was fowen, they drove them over their new °LrCe^ a r ld
plowed lands, to tread in the grain, that the Fowls and Birds might not root ic or fcrape it forth a m * n 3 n K S - again, and for this caufe alfo they fpared Swine f rom Sacrificing. Bat in mine opinion it is better derived from HIM, the Gre\ word : For the Latine>Porcut,is thought to be feed e 1 from PorreftM becaufe his fnowt is alway ftrecched for th , and fo he feedeth, digging with it in the earth, and tunning up the root of t rees : but I better approve the notation of Iftdorus, Por CM quafi fpu^cus^quia exno & iimi JtvMit. That is* bee*ufe it rowiech and walloweth in the mire. Porctfa or Porceta for a Sow that hath had but one farrow,and Scopba for a Sow that hath had many. The Grecians tins is derived from 1huein, which figqifieth to kill in lacrifice/or great was the ufe of facnficing this beaft among the Paynims, as we fhall (hew afterward. The ancient Grecians did alfo tearm Swine Sik$% and when the Swine-herds did call the Beafts to their meats, they cryed Sig, Sig-, as in our Cou iu trey their feeders cry Tig, l'/gt Cb->tros, of their feeding and nurfing their youngones. And indeed A hiftory <?f f rom Swine we finde that many men have alfo received names as wipio Suarius, and TremeUms Sero* th€ fa, whereupon lyeth this hiftory as he writeth : when Licinus NerVa was Pnetor , his great Uncle was s c r°I a i left Q j e f t o r in his abfence for Macedonia, untill the Praetor returned. The enemies thinking that now they had got ten opportunity and advantage againft their befiegers or affaylants, cauied an onfet to be made, and a fight to be offered, then his Uncle exhorting the Koman Souldiers to arms, told them, Seceleriter bofttsdisjefturum ut Scrofaporcellas, That he would as eafily caft thern off and fcatter them, as a Sow doth her Pigs fucking her belly, which he performed accordingly, and fo obtained a great v ido ry , for which j\erva was made Emperor, and he was always evermore afterward called Smfa. 9 '
Macrobius telleth the occafion of the name of the family of Scrofa fometfhat otherwife, yét pertaining to this difcourfe. TremelUits, faith he, was with his family and children, dwelling in a certain Vi l lage , and his fervants feeing a ftray Sow come among them, the owner whereof thev did no t know, prefently they flew her , and brought her home. The neighbour that did owe the Sow called for witneffesof the f a d or theft , and came with them to Tremettius, demanding his Scrofa or Sow again. Tremellius having underftood by one of his fervants the deed, laid it up in his Wives bed, and covering it over with the clothes, caufed her to lie upon the Sows carkafe, and therefore told his neighbour he fhould come in and take the Scrofa,and fo had brought him where his wife lay, and fwore he had no other Sow of his but that , (hewing him the bed, and fo the poor man was de* ceived by a diffemblingoath, for which caufe (he fa i th) the name of Sc<ofa was given to that famU CAhuf. ly. There was one Pope Serous, whofechriften and firft name was Osporci, Hogs face , and Name$of therefore he being e leded Pope, changed his name into Septus , which cuftom of alteration of ^ names , as that was the beginning, fo it hath continued ever fince that time among all his fuccef-0 * fors. Likewife we read of Porcellat a Grammarian, oiPorcellius, a Poet of Naples, who made a Chronicle of the affairs of brederkk, Duke of Vrbine^ Porcius, Suillus, Vcrres the Praetor of Sicilia, Syadra, Sybotas,H)OS, Hvagnis, Gryllus, Ponilla, and many fuch other give fufficient teftimony of the original of their names to be drawn from Swine, and not only men, but people and places; as Hpatt, Suales, Cborreau, three names of the Dori in Greece s Hyja a City of Lock, Hyamena a City of Mejene, HyamajoU & City of Troy, Hyampolk a City of Pbock \ whereby to all pofterity it appeareth, 4leXt(tb Alt, that they were Swineherds at the beginning; Exul Hyantwos imenit regna ptr agros. Hyape, Hyopr-a City in Iberia, Hyfta a City of Bxotia, andP/wvcalleth the tall people of Etbiop, which were eight cubits in height SyboU, and the like I might adde of many places, Cities, People, Fountains, Plants, Engins, and devifes, plentiful inmany A u t h o r s ; but I will not t rouble the Reader any longer wich tha t , which may be but thought to be unneceffary. Only I cannot contain my felf from the fidion of a Swines name and Teftament,or laft Will , for the mirth and wit thereof, as it is remembred in Carjius, and before in S.frrom, and laftly by Alexander Brafftcanm, and Geo. Féritiks, I wiilexprefs both in Latine and EngHfb in this place.
